The 1983–1984 season for the Detroit Red Wings is probably not the most memorable among Wings fans. However, it did mark the debut of a very talented center and future Red Wings legend: Steve Yzerman. Not everyone, though, has heard the story of how he was taken to a bar and served rum and coke as an 18-year-old…
As a rookie in the NHL, there’s naturally a lot to learn from the older, more experienced players—how to approach training, diet, dealing with agents, fans, and everything in between.
Drank rum and coke
But one rite of passage into the world of professional hockey sometimes involved being taken to a bar by a teammate to learn how to drink rum and coke. That’s exactly what seasoned goaltender Eddie Mio did with 18-year-old Steve Yzerman.
Mio told the story on the Hat Trick Hockey podcast. During the 1983–1984 season, both Mio and Yzerman were injured when the Red Wings went on a road trip without them.
Steve Yzerman drunk at bar
So Mio did what he thought was the right thing: he called Stevie and told him they were going to dinner.
“Stevie was just a great kid. We had a nice dinner. And then there was this place back then called The Jukebox. My friend owned it,” Mio recalled.
“So I said to Steve, ‘Listen, I’m gonna take you to this place. You’re only 18. I’ll get you a drink, but you gotta tell everybody you’re drinking a Coke.’ So I buy him a rum and Coke.”
But there was a reporter there, eager to dig up gossip about NHL players. She asked Mio if Steve wasn’t a little too young to be drinking, but Mio told her he was just having a Coke.
Steve Yzerman made the newspaper
Somehow, though, the story made the news.
“The next morning, it appeared in the paper that I had brought Stevie, underage, into The Jukebox and he was drinking. I got a little note from Jim Devellano (the GM): ‘What the hell are you doing taking an 18-year-old drinking?’” Mio said.
But he had a great answer.
“I said, ‘Jim, you guys are away, all his friends are away, and I’m the only one here. What do you want me to do?’ It didn’t go over too well with the GM, but Stevie liked it,” Mio said.
A bit unorthodox, but also a great way to welcome a young player to his new team. Now that’s true leadership! You can watch the hilarious story below.
READ MORE: Steve Yzerman’s hilarious chirp after big loss
